Canadian travel industry leaders have previously and emphatically called for a reopening plan from the federal government, and yesterday the Toronto attractions who are members of the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable reiterated the urgent need to act to save an industry that has been decimated by the pandemic and is on the verge of a second consecutive summer loss.
As recently as the beginning of the month, the Roundtable called on the government for a firm reopening plan and schedule. The federal government has yet to implement any of their recommendations or give an indication of when they might do so.
Members of the roundtable include representatives from airports, airlines, hotels and chambers of commerce across Canada, as well as Toronto attractions like Ripley’s Aquarium and Mirvish Productions.
The Roundtable is asking for a clear plan that reflects rising vaccination rates and falling case numbers, adding that the lack of a plan is unacceptable considering Canadians are among the most vaccinated in the world, and pointing out that “Right now, in Ontario, it is easier to travel to Brussels than to Buffalo."
Its members want Ottawa to follow the advice of its own expert panel of health advisors and permit all fully vaccinated travelers into Canada, not just fully-vaccinated Canadians. They say that would be a shot of adrenaline to a struggling tourism industry sixteen months into shutdown.
Christopher Bloore, the president & CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario and a member of the Roundtable told media, "American tourists that are fully vaccinated are currently making decisions on where they will spend their vacations and where they will spend their dollars. Canadians are sitting at home waiting for the call from their employer waiting to hear if they have a job this summer. It's time the federal government released its plan to reopen the border, so that our industry can plan to reopen, rehire Ontarians and start to rebuild our industry."
Roundtable member Destination Toronto said that the city has lost 463 events and over 380,000 potential visitors That translates into $8 billion in visitor spending lost- $14 billion if you include the GTA.
"We are truly an international business, relying on cast, crew, and productions far beyond our borders,” said John Karastamatis, the director of sales and marketing at Mirvish Productions, ”To get back to normal, we need the federal government to immediately put in place a plan to re-open travel to foreign nationals. Mirvish is a Toronto staple – and it's time to raise the curtain again.”
"Canada cannot afford to be left behind as other countries around the world begin to reopen," said Vito Curalli, Executive Director of International Sales and Industry Relations at Hilton Hotels. “Fully vaccinated travellers should be afforded the same opportunities as fully vaccinated Canadians, regardless of their nationalities – and that includes being able to travel to Canada."
